April 2011

How do we actually live out the Faith? What does “holiness” look like in our day-to-day lives? How do we move from theological theory to practical application? Can we really, truly, authentically live out Catholicism in modern society? Seriously?

This question of how has plagued me ever since I entered Catholic Studies. We seem to do a great job covering what the Church teaches and why she teaches it, but the empirical evidence for how we are to live this out is always taken from the lives of the Saints. Don’t get me wrong, reading St. Therese of Lisieux and St. John of the Cross has certainly been inspirational and has pushed me spiritually… yet something has been missing. Our modern world, revolutionized by technology, communication, transportation and secularism, presents new evils, new temptations, and new battles to fight. Most of the time defining certain contemporary dilemmas and finding their solutions can be quite difficult. Some issues, like issues of life and freedom, seem pretty black and white, but other issues dealing with justice, authority, charity, power, and economics tend to have a lot of gray area. Which is why Catholic Studies 401 has been such a wonderful blessing for me to take! This course focuses on the Catholic Church’s Social tradition as it addresses the social questions that have always been a challenge to civil society. Continue Reading

This past Saturday, April 9th, was the event of the season. The SJV men from the Grand Avenue Apartments battled the Catholic Men’s Floor of Ireland for the first time in St. Thomas history. Coming in as a late addition to the bracket, the Men’s floor was seeded high and ready to compete, their strengths lying in their energy and enthusiasm. The men from Grand were also set as their playing style emphasized experience and seniority. Free popcorn, entertaining announcers, and a guest appearance from our very own Archbishop Nienstedt were among the highlights of the evening. Both teams proved to have a sizable turnout in terms of their fan sections, though the seminary might have had a “home-field advantage” due to their large number of organized cheers. Continue Reading

My final semester of college strays far from that “ideal” schedule every freshman dreams of—only 3 classes, plenty of naps, no 8:00am’s, not having to walk to South campus. Instead, I wake up in time to pray Morning Prayer with the women I live with and am out the door every day by 7:15am. With my coffee in hand, I walk four blocks to St. Mark’s School where I spend the entire day student teaching. Continue Reading